Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Prevention in New York State

Domestic violence is when a person does things to control someone else in an intimate relationship. A shift in power can happen so slowly over time that the other person may not even remember when it happened; it can also happen quickly after some sort of commitment or a change in the relationship. Physical abuse is only one of many ways a partner might try to gain power and control in a relationship.

The New York State Domestic Violence Prevention Act was enacted in 1987 to support services for victims of domestic violence and their children.

This law requires counties to provide shelter and services to victims of domestic violence and establishes mainstream funding mechanisms for these programs.

OCFS created regulations to promote standards for the establishment and maintenance of residential and non-residential domestic violence programs, and establish local department of social services responsibility for financial and contractual arrangements with providers of domestic violence residential services.

These regulations (18 NYCRR Parts 452-455, 462 and 408) can be found here.

The primary responsibilities of OCFS in relation to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act include:

licensing residential programs for victims of domestic violence;

overseeing the county planning process as it relates to the approval of non-residential domestic violence services programs;

establishing the per diem rate of reimbursement for each approved residential program on an annual basis;

administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families non-residential domestic violence funds to the social services districts and the federal Family Violence Prevention and Services Act funds to approved residential and non-residential domestic violence providers;

providing Title XX financial reimbursement to social services districts for residential and non-residential domestic violence services;